Hanifa, a global luxury brand, is pausing production.
Hanifa is the brainchild of Anifa Mvuemba, who founded the brand in 2012 on the belief that women can excel in all areas, according to The New York Times. The brand is recognized for its inclusive sizing and vibrant pieces. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Mvuemba shook up the fashion world when she hosted a virtual 3D fashion show for her Pink Label Congo collection during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Hanifa has reached fashion’s biggest stage, making its Met Gala debut in 2025 when Savannah James wore one of its designs, per Vogue.
In November 2025, the company offered a 45% discount during its Hanifa Friday sale, with select items available for preorder, The Cut reported. Customers flocked to secure items from the brand, hoping to wear them for special occasions. However, some customers waited for a couple of months and still had not received their orders.
“I haven’t received a single email and I have items that was supposed to ship in December but hasn’t, it’s almost February,” user @notlaja said in a TikTok video, per The Cut. “This is beyond grace and patience.”
Mvuemba said the delay was due to production issues with manufacturers, according to The Cut. However, her brand continued to receive backlash online. Mvuemba had also addressed concerns in a TikTok video shared in January while she was in the midst of postpartum.
@officialhanifa A personal update regarding Hanifa Friday/Black Friday orders. 🤎 I wanted to sit down and speak to you directly. We take full accountability for the frustration caused by recent delays. For any order related questions, please email us at info@hanifa.co hanifa
“There were nights where I was sobbing in one room and then wiping my face to go be the best mom I could be for my children in the next room,” she expressed, according to The Cut. “I just had a baby. I didn’t fully process any of it because I went straight from postpartum into crisis management.”
The issues with customers have since been resolved, notes the outlet. Mvuemba said garments were expedited, and some customers received refunds. All orders from the Hanifa Friday sales are now fulfilled.
As for what’s next, Hanifa is pausing production indefinitely. Mvuemba told The Cut she isn’t “inspired right now.”
“I don’t want to rush just to prove resilience. I don’t want to pretend everything is fine just to keep momentum,” Mvuemba said in a statement, according to the outlet. “The years I’ve poured into building this. The time away from friends and family. The moments with my children I won’t get back. Is it all worth it? Was it? I don’t have a perfect answer. I’m still sitting with the question. I’m still figuring out what this season means and where I go from here. I don’t know exactly what the future of Hanifa looks like at this very moment.”
In a YouTube video uploaded March 2, Hanifa shared further reflections on scaling the business, describing it has exciting, but that it also exposes challenges in the production line.
“It shows you where your systems hold and where they don’t. It shows you what needs to be fixed, what needs to be tightened, what you maybe outgrew faster than you expected. These are real growing pains,” she said. “But at some point, you have to ask yourself, ‘What pace actually makes sense? What are you building? What are you carrying and what needs to be reset before you push again.'”
In the video description, it is noted the company will return when Mvuemba and her team are ready.
